Climate change - that which occurs naturally and that which is associated with human activities - can significantly affect coastal ecosystems, rendering them more vulnerable to damage caused by other stressors. Altered sea level conditions, water temperatures, currents, and stratification can lead to other changes in salinity, tides and erosion.
Impacts associated with climate change and climate variability are not easily distinguished from those associated with other forces that stress the marine ecosystem. Moreover, the pressures resulting from climate only add to other existing pressures.
CCEHBR scientists are evaluating environmental health and disease status of coral reefs in response to global climate change and various environmental stressors. Discerning differences in temporal and spatial scale between global climate change and more localized stressors (e.g. chemical contaminants, land and resource use) is critical in better understanding multiple stressor impacts in coastal ecosystems.